Spotting and signaling apparatus



M y 1944- J. BARNSTYN 2,348,050

SPOT'IING AND SIGNALING APPARATUS- Filed Sept. 17, 1942 l, um

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Patented May 2, 1944 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE SPOTTING AND SIGNALING APPARATUS Jack Barnstyn, New York, N. Y

Application September 1&7, 1942, Serial No. 458,743

Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus of the general nature of spotting apparatus, that is to say, apparatus that can be employed to determine definitely the location of words or other sounds on a sound track of a film. The present methods and apparatus employed for this purpose, are not generally satisfactory.

A principal object of the invention is to provide simple apparatus in which a film can be held, the apparatus being capable of reproducing sounds from the sound track, and operating in such a way that the location of any point on the sound record from which a certain sound is reproduced, can be definitely determined on the film.

' A further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus with means for producing a record of the location of the diiferent Words or sounds on the film without necessitating placing any marks on the film itself.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatus in which an entire strip of film can be edited progressively, operating in such a way that successive portions of the film can be scanned, and the location of words or sounds in the scanned portion of the film definitely located, and the location indicated on another continuous strip which becomes a record for use of the film editor in cuttingor making alterations in the film before releasing it for distribution.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatus of this nature, which is capable of use for broadcasting a signal either repeatedly or with variations of the signal.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter. Y a

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efiicient spotting and signaling apparatus.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specifications, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan of the apparatus embodying the invention, a certain part being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, portions of the legs of the table being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken about on the line 33 of Fig. 1, but upon an enlarged scale, certain parts being broken away. This view also diagrammatically illustrates the loud speaker that may be employed with the apparatus that is illustrated in section.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectiontaken about on the line 44 of Fig. 1, certain parts being broken away.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of this invention for broadcasting purposes.

In practicing my invention, I provide means for holding a portion of a film I in a fixed position for scanning, and in order to accomplish this, I prefer to mount the film so that it can be advanced when desired, from the reel 2, for example, to a reel 3. In doing so, the film passes around guide rollers 4 and 5, which may be the usual sprocket type with equidistant spurs to engage the perforation 6 that extend along the edge of the film. Between the rollers 4 and 5 a scanning loop I of the film is disposed, and held fixed on a rest 8, which rest is preferably mounted at a large opening 9 in a horizontal support such as the table I0. This rest may be secured to the upper face of the table, and should present an upwardly extending flange, the outer face of which forms a cylindrical seat H for the portion of the film that is being scanned. Associated with this flange is a shoulder [2 upon which the lower edge of the film rests, and the flange or seat I l is so short that the upper edge of the film carrying the sound track I3, projects above the seat. This is to facilitate reproducing sounds from the sound track.

The apparatus for reproducing sounds from the sound track, includes a translating device including a light or a lamp M which corresponds in function to a pick-up device, and this lamp is mounted in any suitable manner for rotation upon the vertical axis of the rest 8 on which the film is held fixed. Cooperating with the lamp an optical unit l5 may be provided, which casts a vertically elongated narrow beam of light through the sound track, and if necessary through a second optical unit l5a that casts this beam onto a photo-electric cell iii. In the present instance, this photoelectric cell IB is mounted in a fixed position on the hub ll of a spider t8 that is attached to the table ID. A small reflector l9 reflects the ray down onto the photo-electric cell. This cell, of course, is located so that the ray enters substantially on the vertical axis about which the translating device rotates. In the present instance, all the parts of the translating deviceand also the reflector I9, are carried on an arm 20 having a hub 2| that is rotatable on the hub H of the spider. Thishub 2| may be rotated continuously in a forward direction on the film so as to reproduce the sounds. For this purpose I may film.

The photo-electric cell is connected into a sound reproducing circuit 25, including an energizing circuit 26 connected into an amplifier 21, a loud speaker 28 being connected into the circuit 25 beyond the amplifier in any suitable manner such as indicated.

In using the apparatus described above, as finder arm 20 rotates, the sounds on the sound track It will be reproduced at the loud speaker 28,-

and repeated over and over. For example, suppose that the scanned portion of the film carries the sentence We will go home. rotates, the editor of the film will observe where the arm is located'when the difierent words are reproduced, and inthis way the location of each word can be spotted on the film. This will give the editor the information he wants, to enable him to cut the film for any purpose. If it is desired to make a spot record of portions of the film, or the entire film, we may employ an editors strip 2s, which is a blank strip of paper that is preferably mounted so that it will lie on the upper face of the table l0,,that is to say, in a position so that the editor can write upon it with a pencil, or make any notes or characters desired. This strip 29 therefore runs between two reels 30 and 3!, and mechanism is employed for synchronizing the advances made in this editors strip, with the advancing movement of the film l, whenever the film I is advanced to scan another portion of its length. In order .to'accomplish this, I provide a driving roller32 for the editors strip (see Figs. 1 and 4) andthis roller is provided with spurs for engaging perforations 33 in the editors strip. This driving roller 32 may be driven from beneath the table through a rigid gear 34 carried on it, meshing with a similar gear wheel 35 carried on a horizontal countershaft 36 (see Fig. 4) This countershaft connects through bevel gears 3? to a vertical shaft 38 that extends up through the table and carries the sprocket roller already described. The upper end of the shaft 38 may have a socket to receive a crank 39 indicated in dotted lines in Fig. a. With this crank, whenever desired, a portionof the film that is being scanned, can be shifted; and in ordinarypractice, if the entire film were to be scanned, it would be moved progressively step by step from one end to the other. The rotation'of the shaft 38 would of course,be imparted to the editorsstrip 29 which would be advanced an amount equal to, or in proportionv to, the amount offilm advanced at the scanning point. The rotation of the shaft 36 is communicated through a double grooved belt pulley '40 through spring belts 4i and 2, to the reels 39 and 3! so as to rotate them in a direction to keep the editors strip 29 taut between these two reels.

The lower end of the shaft 38 may be provided with a similar double grooved roller 43, one groove of which carries a spring belt 55 that leads over to a pulley lidon the shaft of the reel 3 for the The other groove of pulley 43, carries spring belt 46 that leads over to ap y 011 the shaft of the sprocket roller 2. and this sproc roller 4 has a double groove pulley similar 'to the pulley 43 carrying the spring belt 4 nd 3150 a spring bell-. 68 that leads over o a pulley 19 on 7 As' the armi move in the direction of the arrow indicated on it.-

If desired, the editors strip may have division lines dividing it into frames corresponding to the frames on the film.

My apparatus, if desired, could be employed for giving signals through a loud speaker or through antenna in broadcasting. If the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 is employed for this purpose, a succession of signals could be given, which would be repeated at each rotation of the arm 20. By stopping the arm and moving up another portion of the film onto the film seat ll, another signal could be given repeatedly.

In Fig. 5 I illustrate diagrammatically an embodiment of the invention in which a closed circular film or ring 50 would be mounted on a fixed rest similar to the rest 8, and a scanning arm 5! similar to the arm 20 is mounted for rotation around the center 52 of the film 50. A photo-electric cell similar to the photo-electric cell l5 would be employed, connected up to a circuit 53 leading to antenna 54 which would broadcast radio impulses corresponding to, and characteristic, of the variations in a sound track on the film 50,,similar to the sound track l3. My apparatus, of course, through the medium of the translating apparatus, will control impulses in a circuit, either to reproduce the sounds from the sound track at a loud speaker, or project radial impulses into the air, to be picked up by radio receiving apparatus.

In connection with the signal sending apparatus illustrated in Fig. 5, I contemplate that such a signaling could be located at a plurality of different signal stations along an aviation route, in which case the signal would give any desired information about the station; for example, give the name of the station and its elevation above the sea level. This latter information might be of great assistance in preventing accidents, where the station is located near a mountain or high ground that airplanes must pass over at a safe height.

Many other embodiments of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Any suitable means, not illustrated, may be employed for establishing an electric circuit through wires leading along the finder arm 20 to the lamp.

. What I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the kind described for locating words or other recorded sounds, on the sound track of a film, the combination of means for holding a portion of the film in a fixed position for scanning and disposed in an are, an electric circuit, a translating device for translating the variations of the sound track into electric impulses in the circuit characteristic of the recorded sounds, means for moving the translating device in an are along the film, a sound reproducing device for translating the electric impulses into sounds, an editors recording strip to receive notes by the editor editing the film, mounted for movement adjacent the film, means op'eratable'at will for advancing another portion of the film into its scanning position, and means for advancing the editor's strip in synchronism with the film.

2. In apparatus of the kind described for locating words or other recorded sounds, on the sound track of a film, the combination of means for holding a portion of the film in a fixed position for scanning and disposed in an arc, an electric circuit, a translating device for translating the variations of the sound track into electric impulses in the circuit characteristic of the recorded sounds, means for moving the translating device in an arc along the film continuously in the same direction, a sound reproducing device for translating the electric impulses into sounds, an editors blank strip with a support under same to enable the editor to make notes on the strip, means operatable at will for advancing another portion of the film into a fixed position for scanning, and means for advancing the strip in synchronism with the film. I

3. In spotting apparatus for locating words or other sounds recorded on the sound track of a film, the combination of a rest for the film having a substantially circular film seat on Which a portion of the film can be held in a fixed position for scanning and with the margin of the film carrying the sound record projecting beyond the film seat, an electric circuit, translating means including a pick-up device for translating the variations of the sound track into electric impulses in the circuit, characteristic of the recorded sounds, means for moving the pick-up device continuously in an are around the film rest and in a position to cooperate with the sound track of the film, a sound reproducing device in the circuit for translating the electric impulses into sounds, means operatable at will for advancing the film to bring other portions of the same into scanning position on the film rest, an editors blank strip with a support for the same enabling the editor to make notes on the strip, and means for advancing the editor's strip when the film is advanced, and so that the editors strip advances in a direction from the right side of the editors position toward his left side.

4. In spotting apparatus for locating words or other sounds recorded on the sound track of a film, the combination of a rest for the film having a substantially circular film seat on which a portion of the film can be held in a fixed position for scanning, and with the margin of the film carrying the sound record projecting beyond the film seat, an electric circuit, translating means including a pick-up device for translating the variations of the sound track into electric impulses in the circuit, characteristic of the recorded sounds, means for moving the pick-up device continuously in an arc around the film rest in a position to cooperate with the sound track of the film, and a sound reproducing device in the circuit for translating the electric impulses into sounds.

5. In spotting apparatus for locating words or other sounds recorded on the sound track of a film, the combination of a rest for the film having substantially circular film seat on which a portion of the film can be held in a fixed position for scanning, and with the margin of the film carrying the sound record projecting beyond the film seat, an electric circuit, translating means including a pick-up device for translating the variations of the sound track into electric impulses in the circuit, characteristic of the recorded sounds, means for moving the pick-up device continuously in an are around the film rest and in position to cooperate with the sound track of the film, a sound reproducing device in the circuit for translating the electric impulses into sounds, means operatable at will for advancing the film to bring other portions of the same into scanning position on the film rest, an editors blank strip with a support for the same enabling the editor to make notes on the strip, and means for advancing the editors strip in synchronism with the film when the film is advanced.

JACK BARNSTYN. 

